Investigating the mediator role of perfectionism in the relationship between fear of negative evaluation and eating attitudes in the late adolescence period

Objective: The main purpose of this study was to examine the mediating effect of perfectionism level in the relationship between fear of negative evaluation and eating attitudes of individuals in late adolescence. Additionally, the relationships between eating attitudes, perfectionism, and fear of negative evaluation of the study participants with sociodemographic data were also investigated. Method: 399 individuals between the ages of 18-24, who were in late adolescence, participated in the study. 57.1% (N = 228) of the participants stated their gender as female, 42.6% (N = 170 ) as male and .3% (N = 1 ) stated their gender as other. Personal Information Form, Eating Attitude Test Short Form (EAT-26), Multidimensional Perfectionism Scale (MPS), and Fear of Negative Evaluation Scale-Short Form (FNES) were used to collect data in the study. Results: Data analysis results revealed that perfectionism and fear of negative evaluation significantly and positively predicted eating attitudes. Besides, perfectionism was found to have a partial mediating effect on the relationship between fear of negative evaluation and eating attitudes of individuals in late adolescence. Moreover, it was observed that the participants eating attitude and fear of negative evaluation significantly varied on several sociademographic variables. All these variables but perfectionism differed significantly according to age variable. The score of fear of negative evaluation and eating attitude were found as varied according to gender. Lastly, it was found that the participants eating attitude scores differed significantly with the duration of social media use and the duration of doing sports. Conclusion: It was found that perfectionism and fear of negative evaluation were predictors of eating attitude, perfectionism had a partial mediating effect on the fear of negative evaluation and eating attitude in individuals in late adolescence. It was thought that implementing awareness interventions on its predictors before the deterioration in eating attitude occurs, might be effective in the prevention of eating disorders. In this context, it can be argued that our study will contribute to the literature.